Shellacked
Bowling Green, OH, December 2008
About this photo: We're winding down our "turning colder" theme, but it's not too late to share your own. Just go here and dive in. Looking ahead, the new theme will launch later today - at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. Our new theme, "savor", comes to us courtesy of Kalei's Best Friend.We were on the first night of a long drive toward a warmer, sunnier place. We were originally supposed to leave the next morning, but an approaching ice storm prompted us to quickly finish loading the car and hit the road at midnight, four hours earlier than planned.
For the first couple of hours of the drive, we counted our lucky stars. In fact, the kids could actually see the stars because the sky was so clear. We relaxed as we crossed the border, pleased that we had seemingly skirted the storm. Everyone (well, except for me) fell asleep as we cruised past Detroit in the early, early morning darkness.
The moment we crossed the border into Ohio, the first snowflake hit the windshield. Now, I'm Canadian, so winter driving doesn't normally scare me. I'm used to it, and over the years I've learned how to adjust my driving style to the changing weather. Respect the environment around you and you'll be fine.
Well, that one snowflake soon turned into a raging ice storm. The road disappeared into a slushy, icy, snowy mass. The wipers barely kept up. I wasn't worried about my own driving, but the ignorance of those around me soon had me gripping the steering wheel a little too tightly for comfort. By the time we hit Bowling Green, Ohio - skater Scott Hamilton's hometown and a strangely traditional road trip stop for us - I was ready to call it a night. We pulled into a motel and tucked the munchkins safely into bed.
The world had turned to ice by morning. So while the kids stared out the window with wonder in their eyes, I headed to the parking lot to calculate how long it would take to hack back into our now-ice-encrusted wondervan. Luckily it wasn't that bad, so I had a few extra minutes to record the moment with my camera before heading back in for breakfast in the middle of a frozen wonderland. Our kids still speak of this day, and still see Bowling Green as a friendly oasis far from home.
Your turn: Do you have a special place far from home? What makes it special?
I have so many and for many reasons.. The one that sticks out in my brain, was my grandparents' home... They lived 2 blocks away and whenever I needed to, I could go to their home... There I would watch my grandma sew my Barbie clothes on her Singer machine... and yes, she could copy the original Barbie clothes...She also made all my baby clothes because my parents could not afford to buy ... that was why she got into sewing...She even had a grommet device for putting in snaps on the clothes...My grandfather also had his own victory garden- loads of fruit trees, veggies, roses... Their house was comfort and sanity, a house I could be me..
ReplyDeleteI am new to your blog and enjoying it very much. As I was looking at my blog dashboard this morning, I was skimming the updates of the blogs I follow, and lo and behold, I saw, 'Bowling Green, OH' - I had to investigate. :) The majority of my family is from the Bowling Green area, more specifically, Pemberville, OH. Oddly enough, this is also my getaway place. I grew up the child of a career Air Force man, so while much of my family is from the Bowling Green, OH area, I spent very little time there as a child because we were always in a different state or country. The older I get, the more I find myself escaping to Bowling Green, to be close to the family that I couldn't be close to as a child. I try to make a once a month trip to Bowling Green - I visit with my cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles. When I'm particularly down, visiting BG warms my heart.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it funny how days from our past bring such comfort? Especially for me are the places and the loved ones living there, from where I grew up. So many times I'll be in present day and I'll suddenly pick up a scent and it leads me back in time to one of my favorite places. Although it's not really about the grapes growing on a vine I smell but more about who lived where the grapes were growing. But the times we laughed or cried together. Sadly I don't return often enough to those places...maybe it's time again! Thanks for the memory!..and I already have the perfect "savor" photo which came to me actually from KBF's blog! Ironic isn't it!
ReplyDeleteI saw the word 'savor' and thought what? what the hell is that? Ohhhhhh! "Savour"!! :P
ReplyDeleteI'd have to say that most of my favourite places and memories are in Scotland. The mountains, the sea, the people.
interesting shadows
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